firewire kiteboard

[Boris]

Hi

What firewire kiteboard shall I go for?
I weigh 75 kg. I’m riding strapless and use the kite as little as possible when riding the waves.
They waves I’m riding in the North Sea (Klitmøller, Denmark) are pretty clean and long but they are slow and not that steep and the wind is quite strong.
I think the Taj 5`11’s rocker are too radical for the waves I ride but I
could be wrong.
What Firewire kiteboard would you recommend for riding the long but slow waves of the Noths Sea (Klitmøller, Denmark)?

Boris

[felixp]

Hi Boris,
Sorry for the late reply
For some your size I would still go for the 5'11'' the board works in all waves
Step or mellow
Guys here in hawaii have been riding my personal board that was test board for the new lay up.
They really enjoyed the new feel as the board really holds in well thru chop
A big thumbs up from a lot of guys
You will be stoked
Enjoy

Felix

[robertovillate]

I'm around 72kg, 5'-9" tall and just started riding the 5-11 Taj. I've been riding in Ireland the last few weeks with it, everything from chest high to 25' faces, light winds to 35+kts, 11m - 5m kites. The board is really nice and I'm very happy with how it performs in all conditions so far. I'd be happy with this as an all around board. The board feels smaller than 5-11, but has a lot of stability. I put the FCS Sonny Garcia fins on it which are a little stiffer than the supplied fins. The board is pretty tough. A few times I thought I was going to ding it but nothing.

I prefer to ride it strapless. I tried straps but it feels like I am too far back on the board - maybe just my lame style of riding? (Felix any comment about that?)

[felixp]

Glad your enjoying the board.
It is a great all round board thats for sure.
Basically for the back strap position it is in its sweet spot and the only time you really should be in that strap is when your on a wave and ripping down the line.Or when your lit hauling ass trying to hold it together then you have enough power to put that board where ever.
Usually when going out I ride with just front foot in the strap to get up wind faster.

Look out for the new construction models coming soon.
they just slice thru the water..

Enjoy
Felix

[robertovillate]

Felix,
OK, thanks for the suggestions. I will try as you say.

New models...will defo consider another firewire shape in the future...but need to enjoy this one a little more first

[alefevre1999]

I bought one of the first Firewire 5'11" kiteboards on Felix's recommendation. I live on the east coast and ride whatever nature throws at me. I find the board to be a very comfortable board in all conditions. I find that I can turn on a very tight radius at high speed which allows me to stay closer to the wave. When the waves are big it really comes into it's own. The more you ride it the harder you will push it on the bottom turn and appreciate the board.

The first board I bought delaminated after 5 days of riding. They replaced it this Summer with an board made of a heavier and supposedly stronger construction. I have about 10 days on the new board but I'm still a little nervous about it's durability. I treat it like a ferrari and only pull it out when the waves are really good. Otherwise I ride my polyester bomber.

Good luck!

[Boris]

Hey guys.
Thanks a lot for all your messages, they were all very helpfull! I decided to go for the 5,11. And now I'm just looking forward to going to Cape Town where I'll take it for its first ride
Thanks
Boris

[clunk]

felix
whats the construction difference between your model and taj's model
is it more bullet proof??can taj model hold some beating?i want to surf the board and put it behind a kite.

[felixp]

Hi All
FYI
There are a few test boards floating around with the new construction but that is only amongst our testing team

No one in the general public has one to date-these boards will be available in 3 weeks
alefevre1999-you have a stronger layup but still not the final version.

I suggest if you want bang for your buck give the new one a go as it is bullets..

cheers
Felix

[sckitesurf]

I've been really hammering on one of the test models for a solid 2 months now and it's simply amazing. Daily poor strapless boost landings on it and no signs of anything except the bruises I'm taking on. The production round will be even more solid. Lots of folks have tried the Taj 5'11" and haven't heard a single one that didn't absolutely love the ride.